Irreplaceable
by Graceybrook
Summary: My fic for Secret Swanta: Snow spends the whole day telling Emma about Neal, his first words, first steps etc and how happy she is she can finally see it all happen. She doesn't realise Emma is still cut up about not having a real parent to see all of that. Regina finds her crying and looks after her.


**Snow spends the whole day telling Emma about Neal, his first words, first steps etc and how happy she is she can finally see it all happen. She doesn't realise Emma is still cut up about not having a real parent to see all of that. Regina finds her crying and looks after her.**

"Mom?" Emma used her spare key to unlock the door to her parent's apartment and immediately collided with Neal as he ran into her legs. "Hey there little man. Where's Mom?" Emma asked, bending down to pick up her brother and swinging him onto her hip.

"Emma? Is that you?" Mary Margaret appeared at the top of the stairs and smiled upon seeing her children.

"Dad said I could take the afternoon off and Regina's still working so I thought I could come and spend some time with you and the little man." Emma smiled bouncing her brother on her hip as he giggled.

"I'm not little." Neal pouted making Emma and Mary Margaret grin.

"You're not as little as you once were baby but you've still got some growing to do." Mary Margaret cooed ruffling her son's hair, looking back up at Emma she continued, "Do you want some cocoa? Then we can have a catch up, we haven't had time alone for ages."

Emma nodded at her Mom and deposited Neal back on the floor, watching him run off to his toy chest in the corner. "He really has grown so much. I remember when he was born, Dad and I went to get him back from Zelena."

"That was nearly two years ago, so much has happened since then." Mary Margaret sighed as she poured some milk into a saucepan and pulled a couple of mugs out of the cupboard. "Have I told you about when he started crawling?" Emma shook her head and Mary Margaret continued. "Well your father and I had been having a bit of an argument, I can't remember what about, but he stormed upstairs and when I turned to look back at Neal he wasn't where I'd left him. I freaked out and was starting to cry when I heard giggling from underneath the dining table. He had crawled from his toy chest over to the dining table and was sat playing with his teddy. David and I were so happy we completely forgot what we were fighting about."

Mary Margaret filled the two mugs with cocoa and added whipped cream and cinnamon before handing one to Emma.

"He is a little rascal." Emma smiled. "When I've babysat him before he was always crawling around giggling relentlessly. And then of course he started walking and he's never where you leave him anymore."

"Oh that's a cute story." Mary Margaret chuckled to herself as she moved to sit at the dining table, facing her son. "We were at 'Mommy and Me' and I was chatting to Aurora, explaining how the TV worked for the 10th time and Neal just walked up to me and hugged my leg. Clinging on so he didn't fall over."

Emma's smile was fading slowly until Neal chose this moment to walk over and climb up on his sister's lap. "Emma read this."

"Say 'please' Neal honey." Mary Margaret chastised.

"Pwease" Neal responded, handing over the book.

"We're still working on words." Mary Margaret smiled shaking her head. "David tells the first word story better, but your first word was 'dadda' wasn't it honey?"

Neal looked around for his father. Confused when he couldn't see him, Neal turned to face his mother, "Dadda?"

"No sweetie Daddy isn't home yet. Why don't you go and get the present that Daddy brought you last week?"

Neal beamed, bounced off Emma's lap and ran over to the couch where he picked up a sweater and brought it over to show his sister. Emma picked it up and held it up so she could see what it said.

' _I am going to be a big brother_ '

Emma gasped and looked up at Mary Margaret who beamed and nodded.

"I uh, I have to go, congrats Mom." Emma muttered, wiping away a stray tear as she ran out the door, leaving a befuddled Mary Margaret behind with an oblivious Neal on the floor.

Regina walked into the living room and immediately her eyes were drawn to her girlfriend, sat on the couch, cheeks stained with tears as she hugged her knees to her chest. "Emma? Emma dear what's wrong?" Regina sat down next to Emma, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Your mom said you were a little upset when you left, but I can see that you're more than 'a little' upset. Do you want to tell me what happened?"

Emma shook her head unconvincingly and buried her face in Regina's shoulder as a fresh wave of tears overcame her.

"Mom is going to have another baby." Emma sniffed as she lifted her head up. "I just wanted to spend some time with my mom this afternoon but she started talking about Neal's first words and his first steps and…"Emma started crying again and Regina pulled her head back down to her chest and rocked her soothingly. "I started thinking again about how I never had a mother or father who would get all sentimental over my first word, my first steps and whenever I lost a tooth. I had no one growing up, and now that I found them, they don't seem to care. To me it just seems like I'm replaceable."

"Oh Emma, look at me." Emma looked up at Regina and let her wipe the tears from her cheeks "You are _not_ replaceable. Your parents love you with all their heart and I know they regret sending you through that wardrobe and missing seeing you grow up. But your mom always wanted a big family, she used to ask me if she could have a baby brother or sister. They are not trying to replace you. I don't think Mary Margaret realised she would be upsetting you, you know she has no tact." Emma snorted, her tears dried. "There's the Emma I know." Regina beamed as Emma smiled softly "Do you want me to talk to your mom about this?"

"I think I should do it myself, but I'd like you there."

"Of course my dear." Regina smiled, kissing Emma's forehead before standing up and pulling Emma with her "Let's do it now, if you leave it any longer it'll just get worse."

"Why are you always right?" Emma smiled.

"Haha practice my dear."

Regina knocked on Mary Margaret's door with one hand, the other locked in Emma's grip.

Mary Margaret opened the door "Regina? Did you find- Emma!"

Emma smiled meekly and followed Regina into her mother's apartment.

"Emma I am so sorry if I upset you earlier. Please tell me what's wrong." Mary Margaret pleaded as Regina and Emma sat at the dining table.

Emma looked at Regina who gave an encouraging nod and smile.

Emma took a deep breath and looked up at her mother, "This afternoon, hearing you speak about Neal's first words and hearing you're going to have another baby it just… I didn't have a mother growing up who would get sentimental over everything I did, and I missed seeing that with Henry. But seeing you like that with Neal, it just makes me feel like I don't matter, like you don't care about me. Like I'm replaceable."

Mary Margaret bent down so Emma had to look down to see her face "Oh Emma. Emma no. I regret every day that I sent you through that wardrobe, that I missed you growing up. But you are not being replaced. Please believe me. I could never replace you. You are kind and generous and resilient and loyal to a fault. You are such a natural mother to both Henry and Neal and your father and I love you so much. You saved us."

Tears slowly leaked down Emma's cheeks as Mary Margaret reached up to hug her daughter tightly. "I know Mom, I know. I just…sometimes I have moments of doubt." Emma sniffed as she tried to regain composure.

Regina smiled as she watched the pair embrace, and was touched when Emma pulled her into the hug as well. "You're part of this too Regina. You're my family now."


End file.
